Common Shelducks, waterfowls from the Euro-Siberian region, have flocked to Burdwan after several decades, which forest officials have marked as a significant development.
“Our records do not show that Common Shelducks had ever halted in Burdwan, though the Rudy Shelducks come to some specific locations here from time to time,” said Somnath Chowdhury, Assistant Dividional Forest Officer, East Burdwan. Rudy Shelducks of orangebrown body plumage with a paler head are known as ‘Brahminy duck’ in India and inhabits the inland waterbodies of Central and Eastern Asia. Such ‘truly rare’ ducks have become visible in a lake at Bhatar and in a riverside patch along the Damodar.
Arnab Das – member of Burdwan Animal Welfare Society, who is a dedicated bird watcher said: “Previously we’ve seen flocks of such European birds in flight, headed towards unknown destinations but never saw them land here.” Pushpak Roy, a student of Environmental Science of Burdwan University, echoed the statement.
At Gardanmari lake in Bhatar, six Common Shelducks were spotted. These birds have taken shelter since a week beside the riverside patches of the Damodar near Burdwan town. Most interestingly, the waterfowls have avoided the Chupi oxbow lake, known as a sanctuary for the migratory birds. The Common Shelduck resembles a small short-necked goose. It’s a striking bird with a reddish-pink bill, pink feet, a white body with chestnut patches. A senior Forest official said:
“These waterfowls breed commonly in EuroSiberia but most of the population migrate to subtropical areas in winter. Around the coastlines of Great Britain and Germany these birds are common but they could hardly be seen in Bengal.” The bird is one of the species to which the ‘Agreement on Conservation of African Waterbirds (AEWA)’ applies.